Scott Pruitt, President Trump's beleaguered Environmental Protection Agency administrator, faced tough questioning at a Senate hearing Wednesday that included one Democrat calling Pruitt's entire tenure a "betrayal of the American people."

Pruitt's EPA is the subject of about a dozen ethics probes by Congress, the EPA’s inspector general, the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management of Budget. Among the issues being investigated is Pruitt's $50-a-night Capitol Hill apartment that he rents from an energy lobbyist's wife, Pruitt's first-class travel and his 24-hour security detail.

Pruitt denied direct responsibility for the problems plaguing the agency and deflected blame onto his subordinates.

During his appearance before the Senate appropriations subcommittee, Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Pruitt, "I’m being asked, really constantly asked, to comment on security and on housing and on travel. I’m reading about your interactions with representatives of the industries that you regulate."

Some of the toughest questioning came from New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall, a former state attorney general like Pruitt.

"Every day there seems to be a new scandal and you at dead center," Udall told Pruitt. "Your tenure at the EPA is a betrayal of the American people. You have used your office to enrich yourself at the expense of the American taxpayer and public health."

Udall asked Pruitt about Eric Weese, a former member of Pruitt's protection team who says he was demoted because he refused to drive through Washington with the vehicle's lights flashing and siren blaring.

"Let's get the record straight: Did your security detail use sirens while you were in the car for non-emergencies, yes or no?" Udall asked Pruitt. And later he asked Pruitt if he "personally requested that on a number of trips."

"No, I don’t recall that happening," Pruitt said. "There are policies that agencies follow. The agency has followed the policy to the best of my knowledge. No, I don’t recall."

Udall then produced an email written by then-EPA special agent Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta just days after Pruitt’s confirmation with the subject line "Lights and Sirens." It added "Btw - Administrator encourages the use."

Pruitt later promoted Perrotta to lead his round-the-clock personal protective detail because his predecessor refused to use lights and sirens in non-emergencies, the Associated Press reported.

During the hearing, several protesters lifted up signs bearing Pruitt's image and the caption, "Fire him."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chastised Pruitt for a "seemingly endless stream of controversy at the EPA" and for a "toxic agenda" that "makes America more polluted and less safe."

Leahy referred to emails, first reported by Politico, revealing that Pruitt's EPA and the White House tried to block a federal health study about a multistate water contamination crisis because they feared it would create a "public relations nightmare."

"To block the publication of a public health study on a class of toxic chemicals that threaten water supplies around the country — including in Bennington [Vt.] — that's unconscionable," Leahy told Pruitt.

In another memorable moment Leahy said a Vermonter told him that Pruitt's explanation for flying first class because he was being threatened and harassed in coach was "silly."

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Members of the audience hold up signs that read "Fire Him" as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, center, testifies before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 16, 2018. Pruitt faced tough questioning Wednesday from senators about ethics investigations involving his travel spending, security precautions and large raises for young aides.
ANDREW HARNIK/AP

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt (L) is seen after France's President Emmanuel Macron addressed a joint meeting of Congress inside the House chamber on April 25, 2018, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A sign criticizing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is seen posted on the base of a utility pole on the corner of H Street NW and 13 Street NW in Washington, Friday, April 6, 2018. Pruitt is currently embroiled in controversy related to an apartment he rented from a Capitol Hill lobbyist for $50 a night, personnel issues at the EPA, and accusations of wasting taxpayer money.
CAROLYN KASTER/AP

This March 30, 2018 photo shows the Capitol Hill building that houses the condo that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rented periodically during 2017 from the wife of an energy lobbyist at the below-market rate of $50 per night.
Andrew Harnik, AP

Light is projected by the League of Conservation Voters as part of the new Boot Pruitt campaign onto the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the location of the Environmental Protection Agency on March 28, 2018, in Washington. The images describe EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's wasteful spending on luxury travel, ongoing investigations while in office, and dangerous policies that have imperiled public health.
Alex Brandon, AP

In this April 19, 2017, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks at a news conference with Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, second from left, in East Chicago, Ind. Perrotta, the security chief for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency worked on the side as a private investigator for the owner of a tabloid news company with close ties to President Donald Trump.
TERESA CRAWFORD/AP

In this June 1, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump shakes hands with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt after speaking about the U.S. role in the Paris climate change accord in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Trump and his cabinet often avoid talking about the science of climate change, but when pressed what they have said clashes with established mainstream science, data and peer-reviewed studies and reports.
Andrew Harnik, AP

Joann Spotted Bear from Wounded Knee, South Dakota and coal miners from Ohio and West Virginia arrives with large crowds before the Scott Pruitt, nominee for Administrator of the EPA, during confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan 18, 2017 in Washington.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt arrives at Trump Tower on December 7, 2016 in New York City. Potential members of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet have been meeting with him and his transition team of the last few weeks.
Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt speaks to opponents of the Affordable Care Act outside of the Supreme Court on March 4, 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on King vs. Burwell. The King vs. Burwell case will decide whether the language of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows consumers to receive premium subsidies in states that have not established their own exchanges and instead are relying on HealthCare.gov.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK